Free State senior Gabe del Valle reacts as Derby celebrates an overtime win Friday night at FSHS. The Firebirds lost 55-49 in 6A quarterfinals.

In the moments after Derby senior running back Brody Kooser crossed the end zone for the game-winning touchdown Friday, several Free State football players dropped to one knee stunned that their season abruptly was over.

It was a Class 6A state quarterfinal matchup that felt more like a heavyweight prize fight. Each time one team punched, the other countered. Nearly three hours after kickoff, the Firebirds were consoling each other after a 55-49 loss in overtime at Free State.

The Firebirds (10-1) started with the ball in overtime, but a pass from the 3-yard line fell incomplete in the end zone on fourth down. One play later, Kooser was in the end zone and Derby’s sideline erupted in celebration and sprinted toward Kooser.

Derby, the two-time defending state champions, have ended Free State’s season for three straight years in the postseason. The Firebirds had the ball inside of the red zone with under a minute left in regulation, but lost a fumble looking for the go-ahead score.

“We were just trying to punch it in so we didn’t have to count on (a field goal attempt),” Free State coach Bob Lisher said. “But we were in field goal range and we liked our chances at that point.”

In a game that was expected to be a battle between two of the top defensive teams in the state, the offenses stole the show. From the second quarter to fourth quarter, both teams traded scores on 10 consecutive possessions.

Trailing by a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, the Firebirds turned to freshman running back Tyler Bowden, who delivered an 18-yard, game-tying touchdown run. The 5-foot-6, 150-pound back had 88 rushing yards and two scores on five attempts.

The Firebirds were without star running back Jax Dineen for most of the night after he suffered an injury on a 67-yard run in the first quarter. He limped to the sideline and was on crutches for the second half. Senior running backs Bo Miller and Zach Wilson added carries. Miller had a key fumble recovery in the fourth quarter when Derby was inside of the 10-yard line with a seven-point lead.

Following Bowden’s second score, the Panthers — who produced 538 yards of offense mostly between quarterback Hunter Igo and Kooser — turned the ball over on downs at midfield with 2:48 left in regulation.

Free State senior quarterback Gage Foster ran the ball down the field, including a 34-yard scramble on 3rd-and-11, weaving between defenders, to potentially set up a game-winning field goal. But a fumble derailed the drive. Foster ran for 178 yards and two touchdowns, adding another 172 yards and two scores through the air to Jack Theisen and Jake Rittman, but lamented a pair of turnovers.

The Firebirds converted five third downs when they needed longer than eight yards against Derby’s defense, which allowed a combined 47 points in its last four games.

“People keep telling me, ‘You’ve done all you can,’ and I don’t believe that,” Foster said. “I (messed) up two or three times. I could’ve done a lot better.”

The Firebirds had the game’s biggest lead — 14 points — early in the first quarter. Then it turned into a race of who could score more touchdowns. For example, Free State junior receiver Keenan Garber scored on a four-yard handoff with 37 seconds left in the second quarter. Derby responded with its own score — a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jack Taylor — with three seconds remaining before halftime.

“Give it all to them, they played their hearts out,” Foster said of Derby. “They deserve it. They are two-time state champs for a reason.”

Hugging each other around midfield following their season-ending loss, Free State players wished they could’ve made one more play — “Our guys were making a lot of plays to get us there in the first place,” Lisher said.

But one of the toughest parts for the senior class was realizing it was their final game on their home field.

“I can’t even describe my emotions right now,” said senior linebacker David Johnson, trying to fight back tears. “Surreal that it’s over. It goes by so fast.”

Derby (10-1) will travel to Wichita Northwest (10-1) next week in the 6A state semifinals.

DERBY 55, FREE STATE 49

DER | FSHS

First downs 22 | 17

Rushes-yards 58-369 | 46-409

Passing yards 169 | 172

Total offense 538 | 581

Fumbles-lost 3-2 | 1-1

Penalties-yards 4-50 | 5-60

Score by quarters

Derby 7 21 14 7 6 — 55

Free State 14 14 7 14 0 — 49

Individual statistics

Rushing

DER: Brody Kooser 29-197 2 TD, Hunter Igo 28-167 4 TD, Tre Washington 1-5, Team 1-negative 5.

FS: Jax Dineen 3-70, Gage Foster 28-178 2 TD, Keenan Garber 4-42 TD, Zach Wilson 1-1, Bo Miller 5-30, Tyler Bowden 5-88 2 TD.

Passing

DER: Igo 8-14–150 TD, Tyler Brown 1-2–19 TD.

FS: Foster 11-20–172 2 TD and INT, Jake Rittman 0-1–0.

Receiving

DER: Brady Walls 1-26, Tyler Brown 2-15, Kooser 2-41 TD, Jack Taylor 4-87 TD.

FS: Garber 1-14, Jack Theisen 2-29 TD, Rittman 7-113 TD, Miller 1-16.

HOW THEY SCORED

First quarter

7:03 — Gage Foster 18 run. Kameron Lake kick. (FS 7, DER 0.)

2:09 — Jack Theisen 21 pass from Foster. Lake kick. (FS 14, DER 0.)

1:52 — Hunter Igo 8 run. Jackson Syring kick. (FS 14, DER 7.)

Second quarter

7:09 — Igo 1 run. Syring kick. (FS 14, DER 14.)

5:25 — Foster 25 run. Lake kick. (FS 21, DER 14.)

3:19 — Brody Kooser 12 run. Syring kick. (FS 21, DER 21.)

0:37 — Keenan Garber 4 run. Lake kick. (FS 28, DER 21.)

0:03 — Jack Taylor 20 pass from Igo. Syring kick. (FS 28, DER 28.)

Third quarter

9:12 — Igo 2 run. Syring kick. (DER 35, FS 28.)

8:00 — Jake Rittman 53 pass from Foster. Lake kick. (DER 35, FS 35.)

5:16 — Kooser 19 pass from Tyler Brown. Syring kick. (DER 42, FS 35.)

Fourth quarter

11:51 — Tyler Bowden 35 run. Lake kick. (DER 42, FS 42.)

9:47 — Igo 4 run. Syring kick. (DER 49, FS 42.)

5:39 — Bowden 18 run. Lake kick. (DER 49, FS 49.)

Overtime

0:00 — Kooser 10 run. (DER 55, FS 49.)